Shadow of the Past
by 24BlackRose2
Summary: "Hey.. No matter what happened or happens from now on, just know this... " Rated T to be safe for the later chapters! Enjoy! :D
1. Chapter 1

**AN:Hello again, my fellow readers! I hope you enjoy my second story! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler, only my character!**

"Young Master, it is time for you to wake up." The butler said as he drew back the curtains of the room, letting in the sunlight that was  
now shining outside. The young boy in the bed groaned softly before opening his eyes halfway and looking over at the butler. "What is my  
schedule for the day..?"

"You have dancing lessons with Mrs. Bright at 1, and a meeting with Lady Elizabeth at 3 to plan the ball she wishes to throw later this  
week. Quite an uneventful day, compared to the others we've had recently." The butler replied whilst dressing the boy for the day.

The boy sighed and stood up once the butler had finished. "Honestly, I don't understand why she feels to need to always throw a stupid  
ball here. I have too much work to do to have to worry about all of them." At this, the butler merely chuckled slightly while pouring a cup  
of Earl Grey tea. "She is your fiance, Young Master, you must do what you can to ensure her happiness, no matter what she may ask."

The boy glared at the older man, obviously implying that this wasn't the first time the butler had told him this. "Why you always decide to  
try and school me when I already know these things, Sebastian, I will never know.", the boy said before walking out of the room with his  
cup of tea and going towards his study.

Sebastian simply smiled then proceeded to follow his master out of the room before heading to the kitchen to get breakfast started.

_oOo_

It was just another day of collecting souls for the young Reaper girl. She's only been doing this for a few months now, but it seems to have  
already become quite natural to her. She was just turning in her report for the day when another young Reaper, this one being a boy, ran up  
to her, out of breath. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Knox, what on earth is wrong with you _n__ow_?"

Seeming to catch his breath, Ronald Knox looked up at the young lady and grinned. "Remember that thing you told me about the other  
day? About how you were looking for someone?" Without giving the girl time to answer, he went on, "Well, I found some information on  
his whereabouts for you!" The girl merely stared at him blankly for a moment before replying. "You have? I'm guessing you wish to drag  
me off and show me this information you found, then?" Knowing this was going to be ask, Knox grinned again and dragged the girl off by  
the wrist. "H-hey! I can follow you quite easily on my own, ya know!", she yelled, but this only seemed to make his grin widen and make  
him run even faster, still dragging the brunette after him.

_oOo_

The young boy was standing out on the front steps of his estate with his butler, patiently waiting for the arrival of his fiance, Elizabeth. He  
was currently turned away from the road speaking with Sebastian so he didn't notice or hear the carriage pull up or someone getting out of  
it until he was suddenly being hugged by a squealing girl. "Ciel~! Oh, I missed you so much~!", the blonde squealed while hugging the  
Phantomhive, who had a slight scowl on his face. "Hello, Elizabeth..."

Hearing this, Lizzy pouted. "Ciel, I keep telling you, it's just Lizzy!" He merely sighed inwardly before offering his hand to the pouting girl.  
"Shall we head inside to discuss what needs to be done for this ball you are so intent on having..?"

"Oh, of course!" Forgetting about being momentarily upset, she happily took his hand and followed him inside.

_ oOo_

"Where are you dragging me off to, anyways, Knox?", the girl asked, already getting fairly bored with being dragged to what seemed to be  
nowhere in particular.

Knox simply rolled his eyes. "Already becoming short on patience, are you newbie?" At this remark, he received a glare from the girl and  
quickly went on before he got hurt, "We're going to the library, I found the cinematic record of the person you've been trying to find since  
you got here." Blinking up at the boy, the girl took a moment to speak again. "So.. His cinematic record is in the library... But on the wide  
of the living, or the side of the dead..?"

Grinning down at the slight worried expression on the girl's face, Knox merely replied with, "You will just have to see when we get there."

_ oOo_

Ciel Phantomhive was sitting at his desk in his study, rubbing at his temples while Sebastian was pouring tea and cutting a cake. "Ugh, my  
head is pounding... At least we were able to get all of the planning finished for the ball..." With a sigh, he glanced over some of the paper  
work on his desk while sipping at his tea.

Carefully watching the young boy, Sebastian set the piece of cake in front of him. "If I may, Young Master.. You seem fairly.. Distant..  
Today... Is everything alright?" Setting down his paper work, the boy looked out the window silently, refusing to look at the butler. "...  
Today was the day that someone I knew and cared about disappeared without a trace, not long before the mansion had burned down..."

"I see... Forgive me for I did not realize that today was that day." Ciel dismissed this with a slight wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter now,  
anyways, they've probably been dead not long after they were taken..." Standing up from his chair, he looked to Sebastian. "I wish to retire  
now."

"Of course, Young Master.."

_ oOo_

The brunette sat on one of the little couches in the library, silently waiting on the boy to find the cinematic record he was looking for. "I  
still don't see why you're making me stay over here when I could easily help you look for it."

"No! That ruins the fun in making you wonder if this person is alive or dead!" The girl rolled her eyes, a deep blue color, very unusual for  
a Reaper, and just stared blankly at a wall while she waited. Finally, with a small cry of victory, Knox hurried over to her and held out the  
book. "Took a while, but here it is, just as promised.~" Silently taking it from him with a slight nod of thanks, the girl slowly opened the  
book and looked at the page that words were still being written on.

"So it shows that he is still alive... I've finally found you again, Ciel Phantomhive..."

**Finally finished this, and am pretty happy with how it turned out! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! :) Please don't forget to rate and **  
**review to let me know how I did, please! Have a good day everyone! ^^~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler.**

_~One Week Later~ _

Ciel Phantomhive was sitting at his desk in his study, going through some paperwork. It was a quiet day at the manor, with no meetings or appointments for a change. That was, until Sebastian walked in. "My lord, we have received a message from the queen." Glancing up from his paperwork, Ciel montioned him over. "Give it here, then, let's see what Her Majesty is worried about now.." Opening the letter, Ciel glanced over it, picking out the major details and points of the letter. "Hm.. It would seem there have been killings again much like Jack the Ripper's, but none of the victims seem to have anything in common this time... Seems like it's time to go into town. Bring the carriage round."

"Yes, my lord." As the butler left to do as he was told, Ciel looked out the window silently. _Sebastian has been acting rather strange lately... He may know of something going on that I do not... And why do I have this nagging feeling that someone is watching me...?_

_~Later~ _

I was casually walking through the town, dressed more normally to blend in, and looking for the people who were scheduled to die today. _Why am I always the one that has to do overtime now besides William..? It's such a pain... Grell should be the one doing all of this, not me... Then again, maybe this really is better than letting that pathetic Reaper__ do anything..._ I sighed and kept walking when I spotted a familiar face. I paused slightly and looked more carefully, double checking myself. Sure enough, there was Ciel Phantomhive and that 'butler' of his walking down the street. I quickly ducked into an ally to avoid being seen by him, waiting for him to pass. Only he didn't. They stopped right in front of the ally I was in, Ciel looking around and Sebastian looking dead at me though he couldn't really see me through the darkness. My eyes narrowed involuntarily at the demon before I did a quick series of backflips back when he suddenly rushed at me, at the orders of Ciel, of course.

I dodged quickly and effectively until I was blindsided and thrown into the light, not out of the ally, but enough to be seen clearly. I heard someone's breath hitched and turned around, only to see Ciel staring at me with wide eyes. I gave the butler a dark look before returning my attention to the shocked boy in front of me.

"I... Isabelle..!?"

I sighed and leaned against a nearby wall. "Hello again, Ciel..."

"How are you alive!? You were supposed to be dead!"

I simply raised an eyebrow at this. "Where did you ever hear that I was dead? I disappeared for a few years, sure, but I never saw anything that said I was _dead_."

"Pardon me, but technically, you really are dead, are you not, Miss?", the butler calmly replied. I gave him another dark look. "Not as dead as you are, demon."

At this, Ciel seemed to pale. "Y.. You know he's a demon...?"

I looked back over at him. "Of course I do. I'm... Not exactly human anymore. I was turned into a Grim Reaper. And I must say, I'm not very happy with the idea of you selling your soul, either, no matter what it was for." Ciel seemed to pale even more at this. "But.. Mother and Father..."

"Are both gone, I know, but that didn't mean you had to sell your soul to a demon for revenge."

Ciel was finally starting to snap out of his shocked little daze and his gaze sharpened considerably. "Look, just because you don't like demons-"

"This has nothing to do with my natural dislike of demons. It has everything to do with, however, me not wanting my _little brother_ to die much before his time because of some stupid want of revenge!"

"Excuse me, but did you just call my master your 'little brother'?", Sebastian asked, seeming quite confused despite the fact that he seems to know everything. I sighed and glowered at the attractive demon. _Wait. Did I just call him attractive? Damn hormones! Those never seem to disappear, it seems, whether human or otherwise._

"Yes, I did, because he _is_ my little brother, and I have been looking for my brother for the past three years, and have been the one watching him from a distance on my time off the past week."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, he looked as though this didn't please him very much. "Who are you, exactly?"

"I am Isabelle Phantomhive."

**There's the second chapter of this~! :P I planned on going to first-person point-of-view in the next chapter, but figured the story would be a bit better if I didn't. ^^" So, I hope you enjoyed this segment of Shadow of the Past, and please don't forget to rate and review.~ ^^ Have a wonderful day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my little minions, I have returned! :D Before the story, I would like to say thank you to _Kyoya's Shadow Queen_ for her review of this story! ^^ Thank you very very much! Also, since it seems you enjoy Ouran, I do have an Ouran story going if you would like to read it! ^^ Now, on to the story~!**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler**

"I am Isabelle Phantomhive." I said, looking at him calmly. Ciel looked like he was about to pass out or throw up, Sebastian, however, didn't believe it.

"How can you be a Phantomhive, Reaper?" He asked, barely keeping the acid out of his tone.

I rolled my eyes. "That answer should be obvious, shouldn't it? I was born human then was turned into a Reaper a few months ago. That is also why I wasn't able to find Ciel sooner." I replied simply. "Now, as much as I would love to stay and chat some more, I'm afraid I still have work to do." I looked down at Ciel. "I'll come by when I get the chance and answer any questions you have for me, alright?" I ruffled his hair lightly then disappeared to finish the days work.

Once I was far enough away, still on my way to the next person I had to collect, a tall man with slicked back hair in a suit landed in front of me. I stopped, not really surprised from the suddenness of it.

"Hello there, William."

"Isabelle, what is it you are doing?" He asked, pushing his glasses up with his death scythe. I simply looked up at him.

"I was currently heading to the next soul for today."

"Stop kidding around. You know what I mean."

I sighed. "I /was/ doing just that when I spotted my brother in town, but when I tried to disappear before he saw me, that damn butler of his showed up, preventing me from doing so. So, naturally, I went ahead and confronted him."

This time, it was him who sighed. "You know you weren't supposed to do that. Especially not while on duty."

I merely rolled my eyes. "I know that, but there was no chance of him letting me leave until I did, anyway, and you already knew before you changed me that I was looking for him. You even said you would approve of it as long as I didn't slack off."

I almost smiled at the look he gave me. I could tell his composure was close to breaking, and took a good deal of pride in the fact that I was the one able to make that happen. "Just finish your rounds for today before you do anything else. Unless you want to end up like Grell."

My eyes widened at this. "Oh goodness, no, don't even kid like that! I have nightmares about that sometimes.."

His mouth twitched slightly at the corner, forming a slight smile for a split second. "Then get back to work."

"Yes sir!" I replied before running off.

_~Ciel's PoV~ _

We had just returned to the manor and I was sitting at my desk in the study, just staring down at it blankly while deep in thought about the events in town today.

**_~Flashback~ _**

_We had just finished talking with the Scotland Guard and were walking back to the carriage when I thought I spotted a familiar face. Before I could see it clearly, the person had quickly disappeared into a nearby alley way. "Sebastian, this is an order, stop that person from getting away!"_

_"Yes, my lord." He replied with a bow of his head before disappearing to the alley in a flash. I hurried there, knowing I could never be as fast as Sebastian, and once I appeared in the alley way, a girl stumbles into the light a few feet away from me, seeming to be recovering from some form of blow from Sebastian. I stopped to catch my breath, gasping slightly, and, upon hearing me, the girl turned around to face me and my breath hitched as I felt the color drain from my face._

_"I... Isabelle..!?" I gasped in shock, not fully believing what I was seeing. She sighed and leaned against the wall of the alley._

_"Hello again, Ciel..." She replied, looking resigned._

_"H.. How are you alive..!? You were supposed to be dead..!" I yelled, my mind seeming to refuse to comprehend what was happening._

_She raised an eyebrow at me, a look of disbelief on her face before replying. "Where did you ever hear that I was dead? I disappeared for a few years, sure, but I never saw anything that said I was _dead_."_

_Apparently seeing how I was struggling to form any further coherent questions at this point, Sebastian decided to step in._

_"Pardon me, but technically, you really are dead, are you not, Miss?" He asked kindly, keeping his cool as always. Isabelle gave Sebastian a dark look that I've never seen her give anyone before. "Not as dead as you are, demon."_

_Hearing this, I felt as though I might faint right there on the spot. "Y.. You know he's a demon...?"_

_She looked back over at me, her dark look disappearing. "Of course I do." She replied. "I'm... Not exactly human anymore. I was turned into a Shinigami. And I must say, I'm not very happy with the idea of you selling your soul, either, no matter what it was for." I felt sick to my stomach hearing her say this. "But.. Mother and Father..."_

_"Are both gone, I know, but that didn't mean you had to sell your soul to a demon for revenge." She replied, throwing an icy look in Sebastian's direction again. At this, I managed to snap out of the shock enough to start a witty comment. "Look, just because you don't like demons-"_

_She cut me off. "This has nothing to do with my natural dislike of demons. It has everything to do with, however, me not wanting my /little brother/ to die much before his time because of some stupid want of revenge!" She snapped, obviously loosing her temper for a moment._

_"Excuse me, but did you just call my master your 'little brother'?", Sebastian intervened again, standing slightly more in front of me, though he seemed quite confused at this turn of events. _So the mighty Sebastian finally doesn't know something.. _I thought inwardly before noticing Isabelle's dark look toward Sebastian. She seemed to have a small battle go on in her head for a moment, but then snapped back to reality quickly enough to make me wonder if she really had or not._

_"Yes, I did, because he is my little brother, and I have been looking for him for the past three years, and have been watching him from a distance on my time off the past week." She replied coolly._

So it was her that was watching me all those times I felt like someone was..?_ Sebastian's eyes narrowed considerably, obviously not liking where this was going very much. "Who are you, exactly?" He asked._

_"I am Isabelle Phantomhive." She replied, matter-of-factly._

_**~End of Flashback~ **_

I sighed and put my head on my arms that were resting on top of my desk and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, there was a light knock on the door. "Master," Sebastian's voice came from the other side, "Miss Isabelle has returned as she said she would to answer any questions you might have for her."

I snapped my head up and quickly leaned back into my chair, regaining the composure I had lost at the earlier encounter.

"Right. Come on in, then."

**And there you have it~! :P I thought it would be fitting to have what was going through Ciel's mind during the encounter with Isabelle.~ So. I have a little thing that any of you young readers can do.~ In the review section, leave any questions at all you would personally like to have Ciel ask Isabelle in the next chapter! ^_^ I have a few in mind, of course, but I do like to know what others think or want to know from time to time.~ So, leave your review with any question you like, and I promise I will read each and every one and try to answer them in the next chapter! ^^ Have a good day.~**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, no questions from anyone except for _Kyoya's Shadow Queen_ in a PM to me. Well, on to the story, I suppose.~**

"Well, come on in then."

Upon hearing this, Sebastian opened the door and I slipped past him and into the room. Walking over, I calmly passed the seat in front of the desk and sat in the windowsill instead, looking out over the yard for a second before looking over at Ciel. Before I could even say anything, Ciel spoke up first. "Where have you been the past 3 years?" I blinked then smiled slightly. _Quick to the case as always, I see.._

I sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Well, contrary to the popular belief, I was never kidnapped before the fire. I had ran away because of some of the things that our parents kept trying to get me to do. They were trying to plan my life for me without letting me have a single say in it. I know it's custom to have an arranged marriage with rich families, but they were going further than that, and I wasn't having it anymore. So, I ran. I went from place to place, town to town, always keeping on the move. A few months ago, though, I came back to London and stayed in town for a while after I had heard about what happened. I kept looking for you but couldn't find you.."

Ciel was quiet and looking at me, seeming to mull this over in his head and let it sink in before asking the next question. "So.. How exactly did you find me, then..? And how on earth are you a Shinigami?"

I smiled slightly and looked out the window again. "Those two answers actually go together in a way.. I was living in London, but didn't really have enough money to afford a place to stay while I was there. So, naturally, I ended up getting really sick. It didn't take long before it got so bad that I couldn't really do anything anymore, and soon after that, a Shinigami, one named Ronald Knox, appeared before me to wait the few minutes that I supposedly had left so that he could collect my soul. However, despite the fact that it was scheduled when I was supposed to die... I never did. Those few minutes turned into hours of him waiting for me to die but I never did. Eventually he picked me up and took me to their headquarters, where he handed me over to William Spears. After explaining what was going on with me, William took me off to some room, and after that, the only thing I can remember is waking up and him explaining to me that I was a Shinigami and what I would have to do."

I paused here, letting all of that sink in before continuing on to answer his other question. "As to how I found you, I was just finishing up one day when Ronald had run up to me saying he found your Cinematic Record and knew where I could find you. He and William both already knew about how I had been searching for you. So, once he told me, I just watched you for a week or so, not sure how to approach you or anything. You saved me the trouble of that, however, in town today."

I looked back over to Ciel and noticed he was still just staring at me, like he couldn't really believe what it was I was saying. I smiled a bit. "I know it hardly sounds believable and is hard to take in all at once like this."

He seemed to come out of himself slightly and really looked at me for a moment. I blinked, then he asked his next question. "So.. How come you're not exactly like those other Shinigami? Your eyes are even still the same color as they were when you left..."

I actually had to think about this one for a moment. "Mm... From what I was able to gather from what William had been telling me, I still have half of my human soul. That's why my eyes didn't change and I have no problems showing emotions. He allows it, but only if I keep them restrained when actually working."

He nodded slightly, the only movement he's really done since I entered the room. "One last question... When you left... Why did you leave me behind...?"

I blinked and sighed sadly. "You were so young at the time, Ciel, you wouldn't have fully understood why I was leaving, and I knew I wouldn't have been able to take care of you on my own. I could barely take care of myself. I have no doubt in my mind that if I had taken you with me that day, then you would have surely died."

His shoulders slumped slightly, as if accepting this as an answer that he felt ashamed for not thinking of it. I smiled a bit and walked over to him, kneeling down to be eye level with him before ruffling his hair and smiling brightly.

"Hey.. No matter what happened or happens from now on, just know this. I love you, little brother.~"

**And I shall call this the end of this chapter.~ I hope I answered any questions that some people may have been wondering but didn't say.~ I also hope you enjoyed this, and please review! ^^ Have a wonderful day, everyone.~ Also, I apologize for this chapter being a bit short. ^^"**


	5. Chapter 5

**(/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvwwww2+_**  
**It seems my kitten wanted to type to you guys. ^^" I just pulled up my notepad and she just hopped onto my laptop. Well, anyways, enjoy the story.~ ^^ Also, I'm not sure if I want to put Isabelle with anyone or not in this, it's very debatable in my head right now and the story could go two different ways depending on it. So, let me know what you guys want in the reviews or something.~ ^^ Now, onto the story.~**

It was late at night and I was walking into Phantomhive manor after a long day of work and overtime. _Damn Will and always making me work overtime, and with Grell, no less..._ It's been a few weeks since the talk with Ciel, and he convinced me to move in and live with them again. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

I walked into my room and closed the door behind me before starting toward my dresser. Then I paused. Something wasn't right. Sure enough, I looked over to the corner of the room, and there stood Sebastian. I sighed.

"What do you want, and why are you just standing in the corner of my room like a creeper?" I asked, continuing to my dresser while taking my hair out of it's ponytail and unbuttoning the jacket of my suit.

"You were gone for quite a while so I figured I would stay and wait for you to see what happened." He replied calmly while walking away from the corner.

I rolled my eyes while shrugging out of the jacket before tossing it on a nearby coat rack. "It's this little thing called overtime that William likes to use as a form of torture, for some reason." I slipped off my over-shirt, leaving me in m undershirt and pants, before rummaging through the drawers, looking for my night wear. And yes, I wear pants. No, not because I want to be like Grell, but because it's a lot easier to do my job in pants rather than a skirt.

"Is that so?" He asked calmly, standing by the window now.

I sighed and glanced over at him. "Don't you have better things to do than stand around here and question me? Because, really, I'm about to change then pass out." I said with a slight glare at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

He looked at me then, keeping a calm face but I could tell there was something dangerous beneath that calm facade. "What is it that you're planning?"

I raised an eyebrow at this. "What are you even talking about? I just told you what I'm planning. I'm going to change then go to sleep."

"Don't try to play dumb with me, you know what I'm talking about. You're planning something involving my young master and I want to know what it is." He replied, part of that hidden danger showing a bit.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "He's my little brother, of course I would be planning something involving him. To be more specific, it's something that involves trying to get him out of this little contract he has with _you_." I said, voice cold as ice.

"You think I'm just going to stand by and let you do that?"

I smirked at this. "No. But I don't expect you to be able to stop me once I find a way to break it, because I know that there is a way. I just don't exactly know what it is yet."

Before I could blink he had me against the wall by my throat. I merely looked at him calmly. "Kill me if you wish, but I don't expect Ciel to be very happy with you if you do, and in case you haven't picked up on it already, I don't necessarily die very easily." I said, calmly looking into his now red eyes.

He growled but released me, backing away a couple steps. "I'll die before I let you get between me and the young master."

I looked up at him and smirked. "That could easily be arranged. However, Ciel wouldn't be very happy with me, either, at that point. So it seems we're on mutual ground, demon. We don't like each other, but we can't do anything to the other because of the same person. I guess it's a good thing we have something in common, don't you agree?"

He merely glared at me before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. I shrugged and finished changing before curling up under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.

Next thing I know, there's suddenly this bright light shining on my eyes and I close them tighter before slowly cracking them open a bit to see that the light is coming from the now curtain free window. I groaned slightly and covered my head with the blankets. _It's too early to be up after having such a late night... _Unfortunately for me, that damn butler had other plans. Before I knew it, the covers were yanked off of me and I sat up straight in bed, eyes open, and glared at the man.

"Seriously?! It's too early for this!"

"Actually, it is almost noon, and you happen to have a visitor." He replied before walking out of the room.

I blinked, still in a slight daze from sleep. When it finally clicked, my eyes widened and I was instantly awake. "Oh no, I overslept and Will's gonna _kill_ me this time!" I leaped from my bed and quickly threw my clothes and glasses on then brushed through my hair quickly and pulled it back into a low ponytail while running out of my room, death scythe strung through my belt. I was almost to the door and outside when a dark figure suddenly appeared before me. I skidded to a halt and hesitantly looked up.

Sure enough, there stood Will, looking down at me with his expressionless face, though I could still tell he wasn't happy about this.

"Isabelle. Care to explain to me why you can't seem to get to work on time?" He asked coolly.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. "I.. Kinda overslept after being out so late last night..."

"Hm. Either way, come on." He said as he turned and started walking away. I hurriedly caught up and walked slightly behind him, struggling slightly to keep up with his longer strides.

"So, eh, does this mean I have to work overtime again today...?"

He glanced down at me from the corner of his eye. "Of course."

"Can it at least not be with Grell this time?" I asked, already feeling a headache coming on from the thought of it.

"Oh no, you won't be working with him again for a while. This time you will be working with me and Ronald."

I blinked and glanced up at him. "Both of you? Is there something wrong?" _He never usually sends more than two people out on overtime... Whatever's going on, it's probably really important..._

"You will just have to wait until later to see. Now, off you go." He said as he handed me the cinematic records of the people I had to retrieve for the day.

"Yes sir." I replied before vanishing to do my job before the overtime would get extended. Again.

**That will do it for this chapter, I'm afraid. Hope you enjoyed, and hope to see you next time.~ ^^ Have a nice day.~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Not gonna lie, it's a little disheartening to not really have much reviews on this story. ^^" Then again, I know what most people tend to be looking for when they look up _Kuroshitsuji_ stories, and it's not usually things like this. ^^" Anyways, thank you to those who do read it and review, it really means the world to me! Now, on to the story.~**

"So, tell me again why _this_ is our 'super important' overtime?" I ask as I fill out some paperwork stuff while Will and Ronald were cleaning and putting away the coffins.

"He made it sound more important than this, and it was too late to deny his request." Will said with a sigh.

"Besides, overtime isn't supposed to be enjoyable." Knox put in from the other side of a casket he was currently polishing.

"Well, I know that, but honestly, doing his paperwork and fixing up these coffins for him? That just seems to be laziness on his part." I respond, flipping through the paperwork to see how much was left.

"Oh quit complaining, at least you get the easy part of this job." Knox said, pushing the coffin back where it was. I looked over at him and raise an eyebrow.

"Really now? Would you like to switch places then?" I ask, setting the papers down.

He blinks then quickly moves on to the next casket. I smirk slightly. "And that would be why _I'm_ the one that ended up doing the paperwork."

"That's enough, you two. Stop messing with each other and focus on the tasks at hand so we may leave." Will said, giving us stern looks over the rim of his glasses. I instantly went back to filling out the paperwork while Ronald started cleaning again.

Once I was sure I had finished everything, I got up to go have it looked over while the other two finished their cleaning. I was looking down at the papers while walking out of the back.

"Undertaker-san, I do believe I've finishe-" I looked up and blinked, for there by the door stood Ciel and Sebastian. They seemed to be shocked speechless, not that I could really blame them.

"Ciel?"

"Isabelle?"

"What are you doing here?" We ask in unision, staring at each other.

"I'm here working on overtime since I woke up late today." I replied first, then shot a slight glare toward Sebastian. "You could have woken me up sooner, by the way."

"I merely assumed you were capable of waking up on your own, seeing as you _are_ an adult now." Sebastian replied coolly, that stupid chesire-like smile on his face.

"I am here following up on something for the Queen." Ciel said, answering my own question while glancing up at Sebastian.

"Hm.. I see.." I said before walking over to the Undertaker and handing him the paperwork. "I've finished this, so all that is left now is to finish cleaning and organizing the coffins for you. We should be done in no more than 30 minutes." I say before turning and heading toward the back room to help the other two finish up.

"Thank you, my dear, heh heh heh.." He replied with that strange smile of his.

I glance over my shoulder at Ciel on my way to the back. "I'll probably be in late tonight, so don't worry waiting up for me or anything like that." I say before disappearing around the corner, ignoring the dark look Sebastian was giving me.

Once I return to the back to help, I freeze upon seeing another person in the back. Someone dressed in red and not helping at all. I sigh as I pick up some other cleaning things and pull out a coffin.

"Grell, if you're going to be here, why don't you actually help for once instead of just standing around being a nuisance?" I ask, pushing my glasses up with my free hand while continuing to wipe down the coffin with the other.

"Oh, you're always so cruel to me! Why don't you show some respect for your elders, little girl!?" He yells, causing me, and the other two, unsurprisingly, to sigh.

"One, respect is earned, not a given right, two, you're downright annoying, and three, you're the reason Madame Red is gone, along with many other girls, so don't you talk to me about being cruel and showing respect." I reply simply, not looking up from the coffin.

"Why you little-" Grell started but then was cut off by something hitting him. I glance up to see that he had gotten a book to the face and glance over towards the other two to see Ronald smirking, and I can't help but smirk slightly myself.

"That's enough out of you, Grell, and you two, as well, Isabelle, Knox. Now then, get back to work, Grell, or you will be working overtime tomorrow, as well as more overtime today." Will said whilst pushing up his glasses before returning to his coffin.

"B-but Will!" Grell said, sputtering like a fool.

"No buts. Now get out of here and back to work."

Grumbling, Grell picked up the book that had previously connected with his face and left. Not long after he left, me, Will, and Ronald were finished and checking out back at headquarters. I was on my way out the door with a few books I checked out from the library, the actual one, not the cinematic records one, wondering if I would ever be able to find what I am searching for.

"Hey, Isabelle!"

I stop and turn around, seeing Ronald running to catch up with me. "What is it, Knox?"

He stops in front of me and bends over to catch his breath. "I was wondering.. Why you were here.. In the library so late last night..?" He asks between breaths.

I blink and raise an eyebrow. "How did you even know I was in the library late last night? You were one of the first to leave once the shifts were over."

Seeming to regain his breath, he straightened up so he could look at me while talking. "I had forgotten to turn in my cinematic records for the day, so hurried back to do so and noticed the library light was on, when it's usually off, and you were in there with a pile of books in front of you."

I sigh. "If you must know, I'm researching some things for my own purposes, but I haven't been able to find much of anything that would be of help so far."

"Ya know, I could always help if you want! I did help you find that brother of your's you had been looking for, remember~?"

I hesitate. "I don't know about that.. It's not really the kind of thing that I want others to know.."

"My lips are sealed, I promise." He says, his face turning serious instead of cheerful. "What is it that you're researching?"

I study him for a moment before sighing and giving in. "I'm trying to find a way to break a contract between a demon and a human without having it result in the human dying." I tell him, looking away once I say it.

He doesn't seem too shocked about this. "I see. I'm guessing this human you want to break from the contract is your brother?"

I nod and look back over to him. "Yes, it is. I know the possible dangers of this task already, one of the smaller ones being that Will can't know, so if you end up finding something on it before me, but don't like what it entails, I ask for you to please not refrain from telling me, no matter how bad it may be. My brother is young and has a long like ahead of him if he will just see it, and I know he won't as long as that demon is around. I'm willing to do anything to save his future."

He nods, his face solemn. "I understand. I won't tell a soul and will not keep any information I may find from you, no matter how bad. You have my word."

I smile a bit. "Thanks, Ronald, that really means a lot to me." I give him a quick hug, being that we're off the clock and can do that now, before heading off back to the mansion.

Little did I know the chaos I would be walking into once I returned.

**That'll do it for this chapter guys! Hope you enjoyed! ^^ Please leave a review and let me know if you enjoyed it or not, it really helps inspire me to continue writing and thinking of ideas! See you in the next chapter.~ ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**I finally get a chance to write some more! :P Very busy with school and it being my first year in college, and so sorry for the long wait to update! I hope to be able to get more chapters done while the power is out and I have no distractions. Anyways, on to the story~! ^^**

_I could hardly breathe due to the hand around my throat, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me struggle. "Well, it seems someone is running out of patience." I felt the hand tighten further around my throat, nearly completely cutting off the airway._

_"You're in a rather dangerous position to be making smart comments like that," he snarled, glaring at me with those reddish-pink eyes. "I know you have someone helping you now. I will only warn you once more. Stop it, or else you and your little friend will be hurt." He said as he released me._

_"I'm not scared of you, demon, and can hold my own. I know my 'little friend' can hold his own, as well. It is you, who should be worried." I reply calmly as I watch him walk toward the door. I knew better than to take my eyes off of him for a single second. With one last glare at me, he was out of my room._

_I can't believe Ciel went off to Paris without saying a word about it.. _I think sourly to myself, looking through one of the library books on my desk. _Well, at least that demon isn't hanging around over my shoulder now._ Sighing, I lean back in my chair and look out the window. _Its getting late... Maybe I should turn in for the night.._

I start to get up then pause when I see a flash of white in the forest outside. "Hm? That's odd.." Leaning toward the window more to get a better look, I wait to see if I can see it again. After a few moments without seeing anything, I sigh and lean away.

"I must be seeing things.." Closing my book and slipping it and the others scattered around back into my bag, I place it next to my death scythe, a feeble looking thin sword that is surprisingly durable, before heading over to my bed. I was still in my uniform, save for the jacket and tie, and had my hair down already. I was too tired to worry about changing.

I had just slipped off my glasses, light glinting off of the blue frame, when I hear a tap on my window. Blinking, I slip them back on and look over, only to see Ronald there, grinning like a fool and waving. I sigh and open the window for him. "You could have just let yourself in or used the door, you know."

"Ah, but where's the fun in that~?" He joked as he slipped into the room, looking around. "Not a bad place you got here, it's pretty secluded though, not very easy to find."

"That's the point. Now, care to tell me why you've come all the way out here so late at night?" I ask, sitting down in my desk chair.

"Well, there's two things." He says while sitting on top of my desk.

Scowling, I look up at him. "And what might those two things be?" I ask, moving a few things off of the desk so he doesn't break them.

He doesn't answer, only stares at me as if he's never seen me before. I raise an eyebrow. "Why are you just staring at me like that?"

"Hm? Oh, it's just that I've never seen you with your hair down before. It looks rather nice, actually, you should wear it down more often.~" He grins and I roll my eyes.

"Yeah right, then it would be nothing but trouble and tempt me to cut it short. Now, are you gonna tell me why you're here?"

"Oh, yeah.." He looks away from the window and watches me. "William needs us back on duty tonight, as soon as we're able. He's getting every available Reaper out. Something big is about to happen, but he won't say what."

I blink and look up at him, straightening up with a locket in my hand. "Seriously? That's unlike him not to say what's going on.. We'll leave now then." I walk over and slip my jacket and tie back on before grabbing my bag and death scythe, the locket and the book he brought now in the bag as well.

"Ready now?" He asks, already outside of the still open window.

"Yeah, let's g-" I cut off when there's suddenly screaming and howling from the north side of the mansion. "What the..?!" Without a second thought, I run out of my room and towards the screams, barely registering Ronald yelling for me to wait up. I round the corner to the hall where the study is located only to see... The entire hallway engulfed in flames.

Eyes widening, I hurry down the opposite direction, where more screams are coming from, clearly belonging to the three staff members still home. The mansion is catching fire quickly, almost too quickly to be natural, then I see why. Passing one of the windows, I see Pluto outside, no longer the sweet, innocent demon dog from before. He was the one causing this, but not by himself. Someone was controlling him from afar. I keep running.

"Finny! Mey-Rin! Bardoy!" I call, stopping only when I see Tanaka sitting in the corner, no energy to run for safety. I quickly help him up then continue running, searching for the others. It didn't take long to find them, since they were all together. Once I got them out, I put them in charge of watching over Tanaka. Pluto was nowhere in sight now.

"Make sure he's alright for me. I'm going into town to make sure nothing is going wrong there." I say.

"Right!" The three say in unison, saluting me. I sigh then run off into the woods before using my enhanced speed, knowing Knox is waiting for me.

"Geez, don't run off like that again, ya here me?" He says, easily catching up with me now. "You could have gotten hurt in that fire."

I glance over my shoulder at him. "They needed help and I wasn't going to leave without making sure they're okay. Besides.. I'm starting to think I know why William needs all of the Reapers on duty tonight.. We need to hurry."

By the time we arrived, London was already engulfed in flames.


End file.
